‘Polite’ applause for Salzburg’s patched-up Otello
mainThe first production of Peter Ruzicka’s new administration at the Easter Festival was strictly makeshift.
Jose Cura stepped in for the intended Johan Botha in the title role and Carlos Alvarez for the indisposed Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Iago. Dorothea Röschmann was Desdemona and the costumes were by Lacroix. Thielemann conducted. The audience was subdued.
See Nachrichten headline here.
Salzburg Easter Festival desperately needs better PR!
Tonight’s performance of Parsifal in Berlin was outstanding even by Barenboim very hign Wagner standards. I wouldn’t exchange Meier’s Kundry for ten other singers’ . Schagen, Pape and Koch were great and orchestra and chorus really superb. Tcherniakov production was very interesting. An unforgettable evening.
And the connection between Berlin’s Parsifal and Salzburg’s Othello is?
Both are part of Easter festivals.
Please, bear me, with due respect, just my opinion, but this Otello ( Salzburg, 2016) was almost a total fiasco: Cura’s was in bad voice : “short”, without any “squillo”, ( remember MARTINELLI, MARIO DEL MONACO, RAMON VINAY, VICKERS, GIACOMINI), voice wobblying for most time and the “role” of Desdemona – deserves a SPINTO SOPRANO or even, a dramatic soprano but not a lyric soprano as is Dorothea’s beautifull voice.. almost “shouting” with extreme efforts all over the opera. ?: (…) Stage direction( “minimalistic”(sic) also almost totally disconnected from the real play. The “black angel of death” Always distracting… and Thielemann routine… BUT the tenor ( BENJAMIN BERNHEIM) who sang CASSIO was a very pleasant surprise : beatifull voice and acting. As were said by ” onesto” IAGO… :”.avess’ io prima stroncati i pie’ che qui m’addusser!” (…)
“Would I had severed these feet before they brought me here!”
The subdued applause was deserved… just my opinion,please.